Printing plate



W. T. GOLLWITZ ER Feb. 16, 1937.

I PRINTING PLATE Filed A ril'zs, 1955 a 1 ima M L U fi m ie N 1 M M, 3 MM M w m H c 1 m ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-r by mesne assignments, to Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, at corporation of Delaware Application April 29, 1935, Serial No. 18,796

4 Claims. 10l369) In my prior application No. 612,955, filed May 23, 1932, I have shown an address plate comprising a frame having means for engaging the longitudinal edges of an embossed printing plate 5 and having fiat spring tongues carrying raised abutments to coact with the ends of the printing plate. The printing plate there shown has a notch in the end with parallel side edges to form a close engagement with the side edges of a portion of the raised abutment which connects a lip thereon with the body of the spring tongue.

Now, I have found that under certain circumstances the parallel-sided notches in the plate cease to be effective and the plate when embossed is likely to become too long to seat between the raised abutments on the spring tongues. Also, the notch sometimes became too narrow at the entrance for the connecting portion of the abutment to enter the notch. I find 00 that this action is caused by the distortion of the metal .plate due to the embossing of characterscomparatively near the end thereof. I 'In my prior application No. 687,616, filed Au-. gust 31, 1933, I have shown an address plate provided with a notch having its base (that is the boundary most distant from the end and parallel therewith) of, a length substantially equal to the corresponding dimension of the connecting portion between the abutment and spring tongue of the frame, and having side walls which diverge slightly from such base to the end of theplate. The result of such a notch is such that, when embossed, the plate material adiacent the ends is forced into the notch, so that the ultimate side walls of the notch are substantially parallel or at least will not choke the entrance to the notch. Such a notched plate also either does away with the longitudinal protrusion of the plate, or so reduces it as to render it negligible.

I have found, however, that different materials and metals react differently to the embossing action and that even different lots of supposedly the same material react differently. For

instance, some'materials expand farther than others underthe embossing action and hence, in some instances, may so restrict the distance across the end of the notch as to prevent the connecting portion of the abutment on the frame from entering the notch; Likewise, if the distance across the end of the notch is such as to insure entrance of the connecting portions of the plate abutments for substantially all types of embossable materials, the engagement of the side walls of the notch and the ends of the plate adjacent the side walls of the notch with the abutment is lost, unlessthe metal has definite physical characteristics, and the aligning and 10-. eating advantages of the notch andabutment are lost. 5

As a result of experimentation and trial, I have found that I can overcome the disadvantages described in connection with either a parallel walled or outwardly flaring notch by flaring the notch inwardly, that is, by making the 10 distance across the notch at the end of the plate less than the length of the boundary of the notch most distant from the end of the plate and parallel therewith. The result will be that, when the plate is embossed, the end of the plate adja- 1 centthe notch will be unaffected by the embossing. Hence, by making the distance across the notch at the end of the plate such that it will advantageously coact with the abutment of the frame, and by increasing the distance between 20 the side walls of the notch as they recede inwardly from the end of the plate, Isecure the full advantages of the coacting notch and frame abutment, regardless of the specific characteristics of the material or metal used. This type of 25 notch either does away with the longitudinal and lateral protrusions of the plate, or at least eliminates such extrusions where the end of the plate coacts with the abutment of the frames.

My invention in its broad aspect may be said 30 to comprise a plate adapted for mounting on a frame and having in its end a notch of a predetermined width and which plate is further provided, intermediate the entrance of the notch and printing character area of the plate, with means 35 to prevent the effecting of the contour of the plate at the entrance to the notch by the flow of metal, consequent upon the embossing of the plate. Such means preferably extends at either side of the longitudinal axis of the notch a 40 greater distance than do the corners formed by the entrance of the notch. Such above-mentioned means may comprise a cut-out portion of the plate intermediate the entrance of the notch and the printing character area of the plate, the distance between the ends of such cut-out portion and the longitudinal margins of the plate being greater than the distance between the corners of the entrance of the notch and respective margins of the plate. The cut-out portion may 59 be formed integral with the notch or independent thereof, as desired.

The specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing comprises a printing plate adapted for mounting on a frame and hav 5 I ing in its end a notch with its side edges flaring inwardly sufiiciently to avoid the troublesome distortion while maintaining the width of the notchat the edge of the plate constant, to

1 permit accurate holding and positioning of the plate by the frame-portion occupying the notch. The invention is hereinafter more fully explained 7 in' connection with the drawing;

. perspective of an end portion of the frame and, a printing plate mounted thereon; Fig. 4 is. a

In the drawing Fig. l is a plan of an address plate comprising 'a'frame carrying an index card and one of my printing plates; Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion of the frame and printing plate with the latter partially removed; Fig. 3 is'a sectional perspectiveof'anend .portionof the frame without the printing plate; Fig. 5 is a cross-section through a'portion of the frameand the printing plate mounted thereon, as indicated by the line 55-on Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a plan of a portion of the plate near one endbefore it is'embossed; Fig. 7 is a planet the same'after it is embossed; Fig. 8 isja plan of a 'parallel-sided notchedplate beforeembossingand Fig. 9 the same after embossing; Figs. landll;are fragmentary vertical sectional views -through.'th'e'emboissing dies il-- lustrating the action thereof on" the printingplate, each view being a section on the correspondingly numbered line on the other view.

As shown in Figs. 1 to l, in indicates the frame of the address plate, 4!! the printing plate mounted thereon, and 30 the index card. which may also be mounted on the addressplate. As shown, the

"address plate is a' sheet-rnetal member'having a curled over lower edge I I, stamped-up fdownwardly projecting ears l2 to form aslideway' for the printing plate, and a;curledover"upper edge l3 and stamped-up"upwardly'projecting ears M to forms. pocket in which-'the index card 30 may bemounted. r The lower 'portionJIof the' frame i0 is formed withspring tongues lcut out of the body of the plate on the frame.

the plate,'each having near one end a raised lip l6 presenting abrupt shoulders 11 to engage the end of the printing plate, anda gradually-inclined central portion 18 connecting the raised lip with the body of the tongue, and-adapted to occupy the notch of the plate. The inclined central portion 58 provides abruptshoulders 2D to engage the side walls of 'the notches in the ends of the plate and thereby accurately locate This permits the use of a loose fit between the plate and its guideways H and 12 to enable the plate to be easily inserted on the frame; The raised portion I6 is also connected with the body of the'tongue l5 by eX- treme portions I!) set back beyond the abrupt shoulders l1. r

The frame above described is claimed in my copending application referred to, and is here set out in order that the action of the printing plate may be better understood. j

The printing plate 40 islof such a'size that it may be readily slid into place in theshallow pocket provided by the curled-over edge I! and the overhanging ears I 2. If desired, the upper and lower edges of this plate may be scalloped as shown, which has been found to aid in the ready insertion of the plate into the pocket; The

plate has ineach end a central notch 45, which is designed to receive the connecting portion N3 of the spring tongue when the end of the plate abuts The depthof this'netch' theabrupt shoulders H. from the end of the plate is at least as great as thelongitudinal dimension of the connecting portion [8 of the tongue, so that the end of the plate on opposite sides of the notch may freely abut the shoulders ll. The width of the notch at the edge of the plate is preferably substantially the same as that of the connection portion I8,

while the distance between the side walls of the notch increases from the edge of the plate inwardly as shown in Fig. '6. For convenience,

such notch may be termed a dovetailed. notch.

However, it is to be understood that I use the;

term dovetail in a broad sense to include any 7 notch wherein the entrance to the notch is restricted relative to another dimension of the notch parallel with therefrom. V V

When such aplate as illustrated in Fig. 8 is the entrance and inwardly submitted to the action of an embossing machine to print characters thereon in a region close to the: notch, theydistort the metal of the'plate, and if there is 'llO place for this metal to go, the

distortion will cause the plate to protrude at the end, or'the notch to become narrowed at its.

opening, each of which conditions isitrouble'some in'the mounting of the plate onthe frame. With the dovetailed notch, however, the'jembossing action does) not-affect the protruding corners 42 of the plate. Therefore 'the plate will'notbind on the connecting portion l8 of the frame tongue, nor will it protrude troublesomely beyond the normal end of the plate to bind on the shoulders I! of the frame tongue. 7

I have illustrated the action of the embossing operation in Fig. 9 on :a parallel walled notch where the pressing action of the'dies in making the characters 22 causesthe, side walls of' the notch Mo. to approach each other restricting the adjacent the edges of the notch.

entrance to the notch" and, lengthening the plate ,The distortion adjacent the. end of the plate, illustrated in Figs. 8 and}, results from the spreading. or flowing ofthe metal of the plate. due

trated, for instance, in Figs. 10 andxll, thefgtwo dies 'act on the plate-40lto form first a raised seat on the plate, designated 24, and then-the,

character 22, still further raised from theseat. The result is the material of the plate is con siderably reduced in thickness and changedin form by the pressure of the dies, which causes the'metal of the plate to flow in the direction of the plane of the plate. Some of this flow is toward the end of the plate and is sufiiciently resisted by I the plate except adjacent the notch, but with the dovetailed notch the flow' of the metal is interrupted by the widened base 43 of the notch." The lateral flow of the metal seems to act in a curvilinear path as indicated by the curved lines on Fig. 7, and does not affect the mouth of the notch. Any slight flow effect acts only to decrease the width of the notch at its base and therefore may be disregarded for all practical pure" a predetermined width at the edge ofthe plate,

to the pressure of the embossing dies.) As mus-":2

V '70 of the notch is such as to provide an entrance of which width is unaffected by the action of the 2 character embossing dies, and is not restrictedby the flow of metal during theembossing action;

7 2,070,592 nor does it depend upon such flow for its final I dimension. 1

It is desirable not to give a greater flare to the notch than necessary to prevent the most severe distortion of the plate at the notch entrance. My experience has demonstrated that it is preferable to make the flare or slope of the sidewalls of the notch about 30' as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing, as this angle effectively eliminates the distortion of the abutment engaging surfaces of the plate.

While I do not wish to limit myself to particular dimensions, I have found that with the frame of the form shown in Fig. 4, having the connecting portion l8 of a longitudinal extent of .040 inch, and of a Width (measured parallel with the end of the plate) of .055 inch, I can obtain excellent results in a plate having a notch of a depth of .045 inch and a width which at the bottom is .080 inch and which at the top (that is at the end edge of the plate or entrance to the notch) is .055 inch. With such a holder and such a plate, the end of the plate firmly abuts the shoulders I! on opposite sides of the notch, and the side walls of the notch at the entrance of the notch substantially engage the edges 20 of the connecting portion l8. This is sufiicient to hold the plate located in the desired position without further bearing of the sides of the notch against the connection l8.

It will be seen that I have provided a plate which is substantially universal in action and is adapted to be effectively mounted on a holder or frame of the character described, irrespective of the amount of embossing on the plate, or the type or specific physical characteristics of the metal used for forming the plate.

I claim:

1. A relatively long and narrow blank for a printing plate adapted to be mounted on a frame, said blank having, in at least one end, a comparatively narrow notch with its sides flaring toward the interior of the plate.

2. A substantially rectangular blank of sheet material adapted to be embossed and having a straight end interrupted in its mid-region by a comparatively narrow notch of trapezoidal form with the shorter of its parallel sides at the entrance to the notch.

3. A comparatively long and narrow blank for a printing plate having an area receptive for embossed printing characters and having a notch in one end thereof and provided with a cut-out portion intermediate the entrance to the notch and the printing character area, the width of the opening at said cut-out portion being greater than the width of the mouth of the notch.

4. A comparatively long and narrow blank for a printing plate adapted to have printing characters embossed thereon and having comparatively narrow notches located in central regions at each end of the blank, said notches being wider at their base than at the entrance to the notch, and the marginal ends of the plate being straight, interrupted only by the entrance to the notch.

WALTER T. GOLLWITZER. 

